John Guzman, CFI

John J. Guzman, CFI graduated from St. Xavier University with a BS in Social Sciences and received a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections from Chicago State University. After attending the Reid College, he was employed by Robert C. Cummins, Inc. as a polygraph examiner and behavioral analysis interviewer and was eventually promoted to the position of chief examiner. John administered polygraph examinations and conducted interrogations on various issues, including; murder, abuse, sexual assault, bribery, forgery, illicit use of drugs and theft. After he accepted a position with the Chicago Police Department, he continued to conduct polygraph examinations for Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc (WZ).

John was assigned as a patrol officer until he became a member of the elite Special Operations Group and Gang Crime Unit. His assignments included uniform patrol and plainclothes tactical operations. John was promoted to the rank of Gang Crime Specialist and investigated gang-related activity, including homicides, drive-by shootings and drug trafficking. In total, he was assigned to the Narcotic and Gang Investigation Section for twenty-one of his twenty-three-year career.

John has qualified as an expert witness and has lectured on street gangs and gang violence before national gang conferences, law enforcement agencies, neighborhood groups and civic organizations. Guzman wrote and compiled the Chicago Police Gang Reference Book, which has been distributed to U.S. and international law enforcement agencies. John wrote the article entitled; “Non-confrontational Interrogation: Obtaining Confessions from Streetwise Gang Members” that was published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

After retiring from the Chicago Police Department, John moved to Albuquerque, NM and continued in law enforcement as a sergeant with the New Mexico Rangers and as a lieutenant with the New Mexico Mounted Patrol.

In addition to conducting over forty seminars each year for WZ, John is active in course development. He developed a course entitled Tactical Interviewing, which was presented to 1,300 detectives and tactical officers of the Chicago Police Department Organized Crime Division and presented to other law enforcement agencies in several states. Guzman developed an Elder Abuse Investigations course, which has been taught in Texas and Louisiana. He has conducted numerous seminars for the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Military. These seminars have been taught in the United States and in Nigeria, India, Morocco, Indonesia and Germany.

Guzman has taught online college criminal justice classes for ITT Tech as an adjunct instructor. Among the classes he taught were: introduction to criminal justice, criminal investigation, interview and interrogation, principles of policing, community policing, report writing and corrections.

John was elected to the Board of Trustees of the New Mexico Crime Prevention Association and a member of Toastmasters International – CTM, International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, American Correctional Association, and the National Adult Protective Services Association.

Location: Billings Police Department, 4810 Midland Rd., Billings, MT, 59101. Get Directions.